1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a wheel loader, and in particular to the wheel loader equipped with an exhaust gas post-processing device such as a diesel particulate filtering device.
2. Background Information
An exhaust gas post-processing device is mounted on a wheel loader. The exhaust gas post-processing device includes a diesel particulate filtering device that collects and removes particulate matter of soot and the like included in the diesel engine exhaust. The diesel particulate filtering device is mounted in a row with an air cleaner on an upper portion of the engine. A nitrogen oxide reduction catalytic converter may also be provided to remove NOx from the exhaust gas. The nitrogen oxide reduction catalytic converter is provided on the exhaust downstream side of the diesel particulate filtering device.
As described above, the diesel particulate filtering device is mounted on an upper portion of the engine with an air cleaner and supported directly by the engine. Therefore, when a nitrogen oxide reduction catalytic converter is added, the nitrogen oxide reduction catalytic converter is provided on the upper portion of the engine on the exhaust downstream side of the diesel particulate filtering device.
However, when the nitrogen oxide reduction catalytic converter is mounted on the engine in addition to the diesel particulate filtering device, the combined weight of the devices becomes very large and the center of gravity of the engine becomes higher. As a result, engine vibration increases which is undesirable.
Accordingly, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 8,191,668, a configuration has been proposed in which a mounting mechanism is provided on a vehicle frame and the diesel particulate filtering device and the nitrogen oxide reduction catalytic converter are mounted on the mounting mechanism. The lower end of the mounting mechanism is fixed to the vehicle frame. The mounting mechanism has four posts that extend upward above the engine and an openable and closable base frame is provided on the four posts.